Improvement in carpet-stretchers



J. D- WHITNEY. Carpet-Stretcher.

No. 214,219. Patented April 8,1879.

INVENTOR lLITNESSES way, ,J

m w W ATTORNEYS.

N-FETERS. PHOTO-LFTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES D. WHITNEY, OF PLOVER, WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARPET-STRETCHERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,219, dated April 8,1879; application filed February 25, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J nuns D. WHITNEY, of Plover, in the county ofPortage and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and ImprovedCarpet-Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to furnish a simply-constructed andeasily-operated device for stretching carpets on floors; and it consistsof two arms hinged together at one end, and having T-heads at the otherends, one of which bears against an extension, which, in turn, bearsagainst the opposite wall or the end of an interposed strip, and theother is provided with sharp hooks, that catch the carpet. The two armsare set in the form of an isosceles triangle, and the stretching is doneby pressing upon the hinged apex of the triangle, thus forcing the headsapart, the one hooked in the carpet yielding to the pressure andstretching the carpet the distance it moves.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top view or plan of thestretcher. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same in position to stretch thecarpet, and Fig. 3 shows a modification of the connection between theextensions.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Eieferrin g to the drawings, A A are the two arms of the stretcher. Inthe upper side of the former, near the end, are slots (1. a, and in thelatter is a pivot, b, which is placed in one of the slots, as shown inFig. 2, and thus hinges the two arms together, so that they turn easily,and at the same time allow them to be quickly taken apart whennecessary.

Instead of the pin or pivot and the slot arrangement the two arms may bepermanently pivoted together, or hinged or connected by aball-and-socket joint.

The free ends of the arms are provided with T-heads B B, respectively.In the under edge of the former is a rabbet, c, and in the latter, onthe under side, is a row of hooks, d. The jointed extension is composedof two pieces, G 0. their edges.

To 0, on either side, is pivoted a link, f,

They each have a groove, 6, in

with an inwardly-projecting stud, g, on the free end, and the studs areentered into the grooves e in piece 0, as clearly shown in the drawings.

The operation of the device is as follows: D represents the floor of aroom. It is the wash-board at the junction of the wall with the floor,and E is the carpet to be stretched. One side of the carpet is tackeddown to the floor, as shown at i. The jointed extension is laid on. thecarpet with one end abutting against the wash-board, or against the endof a strip interposed between its end and the wash-board.

The rabbeted edge of the head B is placed upon the adjacent end of thepiece 0, and the head B is placed near the free edge of the carpet, sothat the hooks engage the same, and the two arms occupy the positionshown in Fig. 2, forming an isosceles triangle.

Pressure is now applied to the arms at the point where they are hingedtogether, and this causes the head B to move outward, stretching thecarpet to the extent of its movement; and when this has been carried farenough the carpet is tacked down for a space as long as the head, therebeing space enough for this purpose between the head and the edge of thecarpet, and when this is completed the device is moved along clear ofthe part tacked, and the stretching continued until the carpet is tackedalong its entire edge.

The jointed extension and the interposed strip together must besufficiently long to enable the arm to be held at a good height abovethe floor when the stretching commences, so as to give ample space fortheir movement in the act of stretching the carpet,

The under side of the piece C may be provided with a ratchet, k, and thepiece 0 with a bridle, l, hanging under the ratchet, so as to engage theteeth, for the purpose of allowing the extensions to be lengthened andshortened as may be required. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. As an improvement in carpet-stretchers,

the arms A A, connected together by a pivot, (J 0, connected together bylinks f, in com- I), resting in slot a, and provided with heads binationwith beads B B and arms A A, piv- B B, respectively, the former beingadapted oted together, substantially as described. to bear against thejointed extension, and the latter provided with hooks to engage the\Vituesses: carpet, substantially as described.

2. The jointed extension composed of pieces J. D. WHITNEY.

A. A. WALBRIDGE, L. S. MATHEWS.

